Chapter 48: Reciprocity

Tonight is the fifteenth, the moon is full and round, and a ray of silver moonlight pours down from their roof.

The person who had been talking to him gradually became silent, and Cao Xiangnan knew that Qi Wanfeng had fallen asleep. His mind was still clear, staring at the only glimmer of light in the room.

Calculating the time, it was only a little past eight o’clock, not yet nine. In the past, he almost never went to bed before twelve o’clock. Now that his body was gradually recovering and his spirits were good, it was even harder to fall asleep at this time of night. His mind just didn’t feel sleepy.

Seeing that Qi Wanfeng was asleep, Cao Xiangnan lay there without daring to move, afraid of waking him. His mind was thinking about all sorts of random things, and the more he thought, the harder it was to fall asleep. After lying like this for a while, he endured for a long time, but still couldn’t help but turn over, and then another, and another.

“Husband, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Qi Wanfeng, who was sleeping soundly, woke up when he heard the rustling sound, and realized that his husband hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He turned around, facing his husband, his low voice filled with a strong sleepiness.

Having woken the other person up, Cao Xiangnan felt terribly guilty, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t used to going to bed so early.

“No, it’s okay, I’ll fall asleep in a little while.” In the dark, Cao Xiangnan could feel the person beside him looking at him. Listening to his voice, he could imagine that Qi Wanfeng’s eyes were smiling. He wanted to reach out and touch this person.

Qi Wanfeng smiled when he heard this. He moved his body, got up and checked the quilts on the child, then lay down again, and said to his husband, “Go to sleep.”

The two of them had been sharing the same bed for so many days. Aside from the initial muddled state, his body was now gradually recovering, and some of his body’s instincts were returning. Three people slept in a small bed, and the two of them were very close, close enough that he could smell the scent of the person next to him.

Cao Xiangnan moved his body back, wanting to hide his embarrassment. He said, “Mm. Well, you sleep, I’m going to sleep too.” He seemed to be able to hear the sound of his own heartbeat, and he was afraid that the other person would hear it.

Qi Wanfeng suddenly remembered the last time they were together, which was when his husband came home two months ago. He hesitated in his heart, but still leaned forward, kissing his husband’s chin, his hand following his husband’s chest, moving down, his sleepy voice saying softly, “Husband, I’ve wronged you. I, I’ll help you with my hand.”

“…Wait two more days. If the doctor says it’s okay, then, then it’ll be okay.” He was thankful that it was night, Qi Wanfeng’s face was a little red, but the movements of his hands didn’t stop.

Cao Xiangnan’s throat bobbed, where Qi Wanfeng’s cool hand touched, his body shivered, but he didn’t stop Qi Wanfeng. He had taught this person to kiss, and Qi Wanfeng was repaying him without reservation, even surpassing his teacher.

The moment his body released, a white light flashed through his mind.

The two lay in bed, and Qi Wanfeng, listening to his husband’s heavy breathing, got up, felt for a cloth next to him and wiped his hands, and then lay back down. His husband leaned over, put his arms around him, and his body stiffened without pulling away, letting his husband hold him, leaning on his chest.

“Wanfeng, do you want it?” Cao Xiangnan said. The moment he hugged Qi Wanfeng, he knew that this person also wanted it. He knew that Qi Wanfeng was a patient person. He felt comfortable himself, and naturally he wanted this person to feel comfortable too. “Can I help you too?” he asked.

“Husband, don’t make trouble,” Qi Wanfeng’s voice was helpless, grabbing his husband’s wandering hand.

But his will was not firm, and he quickly sank into this pleasure. Unconsciously, the person next to him had fallen asleep. Listening to his husband’s even breathing, Qi Wanfeng also closed his eyes and fell asleep with him.

This night passed bit by bit.

The sky outside was dimly lit, and the people in the house were already awake.

Qi Wanfeng found himself lying in his husband’s arms. His face was slightly red as he backed out of his husband’s arms. Cao Xiangnan woke up when the person in his arms moved. He had made too much noise last night, and he was reluctant to get up when he woke up. He reached out and grabbed Qi Wanfeng, his hoarse voice saying sleepily, “Wanfeng, let’s sleep a little longer.”

Qi Wanfeng glanced at the child, who was still sleeping soundly. The sky outside wasn’t too bright yet, and the room was still dark. He lowered his voice and said, “You and An’an sleep a little longer, I have to get up.”

The water tank at home didn’t have much water left, and he had to go to get water. He had to go to the fields to check, otherwise he was afraid that he would have even less time to go there in a few days when things got busy. There were still many things to do in a day. Seeing that her husband was holding him, he lay there without moving.

It wasn’t until he heard his awakened husband fall asleep again that Qi Wanfeng gently pulled away his hand and got out of bed.

At this time in the small village, people who got up early were already up and starting their day.

The sun rose from the horizon. Cao Xiangnan woke up when the child woke up. He woke up and found that Qi Wanfeng was no longer in bed. Seeing that it was broad daylight outside, he was annoyed that he had slept so late.

Smoke curled up from the small kitchen. Qi Wanfeng was already cooking breakfast.

“A-mu, A-mu,” An’an said, entering the kitchen.

Qi Wanfeng, who was cooking breakfast inside, heard the sound, turned around, and saw the child running over. He reached out and picked up the child, kissing his little face, smiling and saying, “Our little An’an woke up.”

“A-mu A-mu,” An’an said, leaning over and kissing his A-mu’s face several times. “An’an woke up.”

Qi Wanfeng held the child and looked up, seeing his husband standing at the door. “Husband, you’re up too. We’ll have food in a little while,” he said. His tone was the same as usual, but his gaze looking at her husband was a little shifty, and he didn’t dare to meet his husband’s eyes.

“Mm,” Cao Xiangnan said, reaching out and scratching his hair, seemingly remembering something, his ears a little red.

During this early morning period, Qi Wanfeng filled the water tank in the courtyard, closed the courtyard door, and went to the fields. He had deliberately gone earlier to avoid the people in the big compound. He turned around and bought vegetables, and returned home to cook breakfast. By this time, his husband and child had also woken up.

The chickens in the courtyard were chirping, and the little rabbits were also eating grass. They sat in the courtyard and ate their breakfast. When Sun Bailian came with his two sons, he was carrying a basket in his hand, filled with fresh vegetables, and shoved them into Qi Wanfeng’s hand, “I brought you some vegetables.”

Following behind, Cao Gang was carrying a large bag of grain on his shoulder and came in, putting it on the ground.

Qi Wanfeng was stunned by the sudden gifts and asked, “Bailian, Brother Cao Gang, what is this?”

“Aren’t we eating yours every day?” So they should turn over some grain. Seeing that Qi Wanfeng’s expression was not right, Sun Bailian said with a flattering look, “I also know that your family doesn’t have much grain left. I still have a few bags of rice at my house, so I carried a bag to your place. These vegetables were also grown in the yard, and they’ll rot in the ground if we don’t eat them, so I’ll bring them over to you too, so you can cook them tonight.”

“Ha!” Qi Wanfeng was angered into laughter.

“Hehe, our family of four eats quite a bit in one meal. Also, Wanfeng, your family’s food is really delicious.” After eating the food made by Cao Family’s Fourth Son at Qi Wanfeng’s house, Sun Bailian didn’t want to eat his own food anymore.

Moreover, he had decided that they would be setting up a stall together to do business in the future, and he would probably be eating at Qi Wanfeng’s house more often.

His family still had a few bags of last year’s rice, enough for them to eat until this year’s crops were harvested, so he wanted to carry them all over to Qi Wanfeng’s family, so that they could eat here openly in the future. That was Sun Bailian’s plan.

So when he heard the last sentence, Qi Wanfeng understood Sun Bailian’s intention, gave him a white look, and asked, “So that’s why you’re sending things over?”

He also understood in his heart that Sun Bailian was worried that their family didn’t have much to eat and couldn’t keep eating at their place every day. He sighed in his heart, knowing that Sun Bailian’s worries were not wrong. If their family had to support Sun Bailian’s family of four, they were afraid that they wouldn’t be able to provide that many meals.

Sun Bailian nodded while grinning foolishly. This silly look really wasted such a beautiful face.

In their mutually understanding gaze, there was something only they understood.

“Brother Cao Gang, are you going somewhere?” Cao Xiangnan said, seeing Cao Gang putting down his things and about to go out.

“Going to the mountains,” Cao Gang said, holding the hunting tools in his hand, wanting to go up the mountain to hunt some game to bring back. This silent man carried the burden of a family on his shoulders. He had a wife and two children, and he silently took care of them in his clumsy way.

When Sun Bailian looked up at his husband, he met his husband’s gaze. He said, “Be careful.”

“Mm, I’ll be back early,” Cao Gang said.

“Okay,” Sun Bailian replied.

After seeing Cao Gang off, Cao Xiangnan looked enviously at the person going up the mountain. He also wanted to go up the mountain.

The small stone mill they had ordered in town would not be ready until two days later, so before that, they had to prepare what they would need.

Qi Wanfeng’s place was still some distance from the village, so they didn’t have to worry about the people in the village knowing what they were doing. After discussing it, they decided that everything they would need to set up the stall would be done at Qi Wanfeng’s place, and then taken to town to sell.

The children from the two families played together very well. Cao Xiangnan saw that the children were running around wildly in the courtyard and was afraid that they would bump into something, so he pulled them over and sat them down, giving them some small wooden sticks. He taught them the simple Arabic numerals once, and then let An’an continue teaching them to count.

At first, they could still hear the children clamoring, but later it gradually turned into the sound of reading.

Qi Wanfeng and Sun Bailian were weaving sieves in the courtyard. Sun Bailian raised his eyes and saw his two sons reading obediently there, and tutted in amazement, saying to Qi Wanfeng, “From now on, my two sons will be raised at your house.”

“Then you might as well give me your Kang Kang and Jing Bao,” Qi Wanfeng said, accepting anyone who came.

“You wish!” Sun Bailian gave Qi Wanfeng a white look. Although he sometimes disliked his two sons, they were always flesh that had fallen from his body, how could he say he would give them away?

The two people were busy with their hands, chatting idly, and time passed quickly.